When the Phone Stops Ringing Because of a Facebook Comment
I’ve seen it happen to a great little landscaping business in Chermside. One unhappy customer, a misunderstood reply from the owner, and within 48 hours, their inbox was full of hate and their phone stopped ringing.
Social media is a double-edged sword. When it’s good, it’s a lead-generating machine. When it goes wrong, it feels like the whole of Brisbane is lining up to give you a spray.
Most business owners think a 'social media crisis' is something that only happens to big banks or airlines. It’s not. It’s the local cafe getting slammed for a cold coffee, or a tradie being accused of a dodgy job in a local community group.
If you handle it wrong, you lose money. If you handle it right, you can actually end up with more customers than you started with because people respect honesty.
Here is exactly what most small businesses get wrong when things go south on social media, and how you can protect your livelihood.
Mistake 1: Deleting Comments and Hiding from the Problem
This is the biggest mistake I see Brisbane business owners make. You see a nasty comment on your page, your face gets hot, you get defensive, and you hit 'Delete'.
Why this kills your business: It’s like throwing petrol on a fire. In 2024, everyone has a screenshot button. When you delete a complaint, you aren't removing the problem; you're telling the customer (and everyone watching) that you have something to hide. It makes them angrier, and they will go to the local 'Community Watch' groups where you have zero control.
What to do instead: Acknowledge it immediately. You don’t have to admit fault if you didn't do anything wrong, but you must show you are listening. A simple, "I'm sorry to hear you had this experience, I'd like to make it right," goes a long way. It shows potential customers that if something goes wrong with their order, you won't vanish.
Mistake 2: Getting into a 'Keyboard War'
We’ve all seen it. A business owner starts arguing with a 'troll' at 11:00 PM on a Tuesday. You might be 100% right, but to the person scrolling past on their phone, you just look unprofessional.
I once knew a mechanic in Coorparoo who spent three days arguing with a guy over a $50 part. By the end of the week, that mechanic had three 1-star reviews from the guy's mates and his Google ranking took a hit. He 'won' the argument but lost thousands in potential bookings.
The Rule: Two replies max. 1. Acknowledge the issue. 2. Offer to take it offline (phone call or email).
If they keep shouting after that, they look like the crazy one, not you. This is especially true when you are trying to build social ROI for professional services where your reputation is your entire product.
Mistake 3: The 'Robot' Response
People buy from people. If you respond to a genuine complaint with a corporate, legal-sounding statement, you’ve lost. Small business owners in Queensland have a massive advantage over big corporations because you can be a human.
Don't say: "We value your feedback and are conducting an internal investigation into the matter." Say: "Look, we clearly dropped the ball here. I’m really sorry. Can I give you a call this afternoon to fix this?"
Mistake 4: Ignoring the 'Slow Burn'
A crisis isn't always a blow-up. Sometimes it's just a steady decline in reach because you've been doing the same boring thing for years. If your posts aren't getting likes or comments anymore, your 'crisis' is that you're becoming invisible.
Often, this happens because businesses get lazy. I see many owners just posting the same flyer over and over. If you want to stay relevant, you need to understand that lazy repurposing kills reach. If people stop engaging with you, Google and Facebook stop showing your business to new customers. That’s a slow-motion disaster for your bank account.
Mistake 5: Not Having a 'Kill Switch'
Imagine you have a series of funny, light-hearted posts scheduled to go out. Then, a major local tragedy happens, or a massive storm hits Brisbane. Your scheduled post goes out at 9:00 AM saying "What a beautiful day to buy a new car!" while people are cleaning up flood damage.
You look out of touch and greedy.
The Fix: If something big happens in the news or locally, the first thing you do is pause all your scheduled social media posts. It costs you nothing and saves you from looking like an idiot.
Mistake 6: Forgetting to Sell the Solution
When a crisis happens, your social media pages become the first place people look. If they see a mess, they leave. But if they see you handling problems well and making it easy to buy, they stay.
Many businesses make it way too hard for customers to actually give them money, especially during a PR hiccup. If you are trying to recover sales, make the buying process frictionless. For example, if you sell products, you should sell directly on Facebook so people can support you with one click rather than jumping through hoops on a slow website.
How Much Does This Cost to Fix?
If you're doing this yourself, it costs time. - Monitoring your pages: 15 minutes a day. - Responding to comments: 10 minutes a day. - Drafting a 'crisis plan': 2 hours once.
If you hire an agency like Local Marketing Group to manage your reputation, you're looking at a monthly investment. But compare that to the cost of losing just one $5,000 job because of a bad online reputation. The math usually speaks for itself.
Your 3-Step Emergency Plan
If you woke up this morning to a social media mess, do this right now:
1. Stop Posting: Pause all your ads and scheduled posts. 2. The 10-Minute Rule: Don't reply for 10 minutes. Take a breath. If you're angry, you'll say something that costs you money. 3. Go Public, then Private: Post one public reply saying you're aware and want to help, then immediately send a private message to the person to get their phone number.
What’s a Waste of Money?
Don't waste money on 'reputation management' software that costs $500 a month just to tell you someone mentioned your name. You can set up a free 'Google Alert' for your business name and it does the same thing.
Also, don't pay for 'fake reviews' to bury a bad one. Google and Facebook are getting incredibly smart at spotting these, and if you get caught, they will ban your business page entirely. That’s a permanent 'crisis' you can't come back from.
Summary for the Busy Owner
Social media isn't just for showing off your work; it's where your reputation lives or dies. - Be human: Apologise when you mess up. - Be fast: Don't let a comment sit for three days. - Be smart: Don't argue with people who just want to fight.
If you're worried about your online reputation or you've had a bad run with some disgruntled customers lately, let’s have a chat. We help Brisbane businesses stay in the good books and keep the enquiries coming in.
Ready to grow your business without the social media headaches? Contact Local Marketing Group today